Voltage multiplier



Feb. 9, 1932. -G. J. m HAL 1,844,531

VOLTAGE IULTIPLIBR Find Dec. 20, 1929 Fig I. 7 8 f INVENTORS Dozzylaa/I. young I 660598.] h/cy. I

A'I'TORNEY Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE J. WEY, OF NEWARK, AND DOUGLASS A. YOUNG, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW 7 JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC 8c MANUFACTURING COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA venues uunrrrmnn Application filed December 20, 1929. Serial No. 415,582.

Our invention relates to voltage multipliers, or range-changing devices, and particularly to self-contained,portable units of this character for co-operation with portable watthour meters.

One object of our invention is to provide a. device of the above-indicated character that shall be simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture and effective in its operation.

Another object of our invention is to provide a variable-impedance device for changing the voltage-operating range of a standard .watthour meter without varying or altering the meter structure in any respect.

Anotherobject of our invention is to provide a self-contained, compact, neat and readily portable voltage-multiplier unit.

A further object of ourinvention is to provide a voltage multiplier that shall embody various novel features of construction, such as a casing therefor, a variable reactor and avariable resistor.

With such objects in view, as well as other advantages which may be incident to the utilization of the'improvement, the inven tion consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in proportion and arrangement without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, is a diagrammatic view of-a device embody- I ing our invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of our invention, the front cover being removed for clearness; and

Fig. 3 is a view of the structure of Fig. 2, taken at right-angles theretosubstantially along the line IHIII thereof.

Referring to Fig. 1, the device comprises, in general, a magnetizab-le core member 2, a magnetizable keeper 3, a stationary member or bracket 4 on which the keeper 3 is adjustably mounted, as by a screw 6, terminals 7 and 8, and a variable resistor 10 and a single bosses 21.

coil 12 that are connected in series relation between theterminals 7 and 8.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 8, in which corre sponding parts are designated by corresponding reference characters, the device further comprises a casing including front and rear walls or plates 14 and 15, respectively, a side wall 17 standards 18 for connecting the walls 14 and 15 and a bail or handle 19. i

The walls 14, and 15 are similarly constructed of insulating material, such as paper or other fiber impregnated with a phenolic condensation product, and are provided with perimetral rabbet grooves 20 and integral The rear wall 15 constitutes a single means for supporting all of the work ing parts of the device, as will hereinafter appear.

The standards 18, preferably of insulating material similar to that of the walls 14 and 15, extend between correspondingbosses 21 on these walls, respectively, in fixed relation to the rear wall 15 and in removable relation to the front wall or cover member 14, as by the use of removable screws 23.

The side wall 17, also of a material similar to the front and rear walls, is of tubular form surrounding the standards 18 and fitted. at its ends, into the rabbet grooves 20.

The bracket 4, preferably of non-magnetic material, such as brass, is of substantially U-shape, as viewed in front elevation, having its leg ends 24 secured to the rear wall 15, as by screws 25, an intermediate portion 27, offset from the rear wall for positioning the core member 2, and a horizontal-plane bottom portion 28 further offset from the rear wall for supporting and properly positioning the keeper 3 relative to the core 2.

The core member 2, of a usual laminated type, is of substantially E-shape disposed face-down and spaced above the portion 28 in flat-plane side relation to the walls 14 and 15 and to the portion 27 of the bracket 4, to which it is secured by screws 30 which extend through lateral outward projections 31 on the outer legs 32 of the core. Lateral inward projections 34 on the outer legs 32 cooperate with the main or intermediate leg 35 to provide a pair of relatively short air gaps 37. lhe resistor comprises principal and auxiliary spools 38 and 39, respectively, on

i which extend into the rear wall plate of the casing.

Only a relatively short length of the wire 40, at one end thereof, is normally wound on, or secured to, the auxiliary spool 39. and

. a lead 44from the coil 12 is soldered to a portion of the wire extending between the spools 38 and 39;

A series circuit through the device extends from the terminal 7. through a conductor 46, to the spool 38, through the latter and through the lead 44 to the coil 12 and, from the coil 12, through a conductor 47, to the terminal 8.

The keeper 3 comprises a laminated discoidal portion that is carried by the screw 6 which is mounted in the portion 28 of the bracket 4.

By turning the screw 6. the keeper 3 may be adjusted in the direction of the core lees relative to both air gaps 37. A screw 49 is provided to lock the screw 6 in adjusted position.

The terminals 7 and 8 are similar and each comprises a. conducting base portion 33. on the upper side of the tubular wall portion 17.

having a screw or stud port-ion 54 extending through said side. an insulating head or han dle portion 36 having a. conducting lower porti on 53, a conducting shank or screw portion 43 disposed in the base portion 33, a terminal element-45 for soldering to one of the conductors 46 and 47, and nuts 48, on the screw portion 54, between which the element 45 is held in position.

Notches 51, in the base portions 33, serve to position conductors (not shown) for clamping between the conducting portions 33 and 53, which conductors are to be connected to the meter or other structure with which the device of our invention is adapted to cooperate.

The bail or handle 19, preferably of insulating material, is pivotally mounted on the sides of the wall portion 17, as by pins 52, whereby the unit may be transported. and the bail may be moved from the vicinity of the terminals 7 and 8 when it is desired to connect or disconnect conductors relative thereto.

The device, as a whole, constitutes a series impedance for absorbing partof the voltage impressed on the voltage coil of a. watthour meter or other device; the core 2, the coil 12 and the keeper 3, together, constituting an adjustable reactor, and the spools 38 and 39, with the lead 44, constituting an adjustable resistor.

By adjusting the reactor and resistor, it is possible to use a meter on double voltage without producing any error in ratio or phase angle.

The reactor is adjusted by moving the keeper 3, relative to the air gaps 37, to increase or decrease the reactanc'e of the total magnetic circuit which permits a variation of the reactance of the coil 12.

The" resistor 10 may be adjusted by first heating and disconnecting a solder joint 50 between the lead 44 and the resistor wire 40, then releasing the screws 41 and 42 to wind the wire 40 back and forth between the spools 38 and 39, by turning the spools, then resoldering the lead 44 to a new position on the resistor wire 40 and tightening the screws 41 and 42. The portion of the wire 40 which has previously been soldered to the lead 44 and released therefrom may be touched over with shellac or otherwise insulated for winding back to the spool 38 or forward to the spool 39. This adjustment permits the power factor of the coil 12 to be varied at will.

The device comprises a simple, neat, compact, self-contained, portable unit for cooperation with a meter extraneous thereto and, although it embodies elements that have indi vidually been heretofore employed in other apparatus in various ways, it is not known to us that the elements have ever been combined in a manner so efiective for the purpose for which the unit is intended or that any portable self-contained unit of this character has ever been suggested. So far as we are aware, it is a new entity in the electrical measurement field and is, in general, an improvement which facilitates operation in that field and has other advantages not heretofore attained.

We claim as our invention:

1. A self-contained voltage-multiplier unit comprising a reactor including a laminated core of substantially E-shape, a coil on the intermediate leg of the core and a laminated discoidal keeper adjustable relative thereto in the direction of said leg, a spool resistor and a single supporting means'for the reactor and the resistor.

2. A self-contained voltage multiplier unit comprising an insulating support, a nonmagnetic bracket of substantially U-shape having its leg end secured thereto and its loop end displaced therefrom, a magnetizable core of substantially E-shape providing a pair of air gaps and secured t6 said bracket, a coil on the intermediate leg of the core, a magnetic keeper spanning both of said gaps and adjustably related thereto, and a resistor mounted on said support.

3. A voltage multiplier comprising an insulating casing, a non-magnetic bracket of substantially U-shape having its leg ends secured to the rear wall of the casing and its loop end displaced from said wall, a magnetic core of substantially E-shape secured to said bracket with its legs extending downwardly, a coil on the intermediate leg of the core, a magnetic keeper adjustably mounted on said loop end below said core, a resistor disposed below said keeper in series relation to said coil and a pair of terminals at the top of the casing.

4. A portable voltage multiplier for a portable watthour meter comprising a casing in cluding insulating front and back plates having adjacent perimetral rabbet grooves, means including insulating standards for connecting said plates, a tubular insulating side Wall surrounding said standards in said grooves, a non-magnetic bracket secured to said back plate, a laminated magnetizable core member and a coil therefor mounted on said bracket, a magnetizable keeper for said core adjustably mounted on said bracket, in-

sulating spools mounted on said back plate, a resistor winding mounted principally on one of said spools but having a portion of its length for winding back and forth between said spools, terminals mounted on said side wall and conducting leads connected from one of said terminals to the principal spool, from the resistor between the spools to the coil and from the coil to another of said terminals.

5. In combination, a core member of sub-. stantially E-shape providing a pair of air gaps between the outer ends of the legs thereof, a keeper opposite, and extending transversely to, the middle leg thereof to direct] affect each of said gaps, and means for a justing and holding said keeper in adjusted position including only a single operating member for adjusting the keeper in the direction of said middle leg and holding the keeper in adjusted position.

6. In combination, a core member of substantially E-shape having inwardlyrojecting lateral extensions on the outer ends of its end legs to provide relatively narrow air gaps next to the middle leg, surfaces of the legs and extensions lying in a common plane at right angles to the plane of the E-shaped core, a support spaced opposite said surfaces,

a. screw mounted in said support coaxially with said middle leg, and a discoidal keeper coaxially on said screw next to said surfaces in spaced parallel relation thereto and of greater diameter than the distance between,

said gaps.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 11 day'of December, 1929.

DOUGLASS A. YOUNG. GEORGE J. WEY. 

